The Bombay High Court on Thursday (July 24) directed that all Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols up to six feet in height must be mandatorily immersed in artificial ponds or water tanks during the upcoming Ganeshotsav and Durga Puja festivals.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne passed the directive while hearing a plea concerning the environmental impact of idol immersion. The Court noted that although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had installed 204 artificial ponds for the 2023 Ganesh festival, only 85,000 out of 1.95 lakh idols below 5 feet were immersed in them, while the rest were immersed in natural water bodies.

Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf informed the Court that the State would strictly enforce immersion of idols up to five feet in artificial water tanks this year. However, expressing dissatisfaction with the State’s July 21, 2025 policy that permits idols above five feet to be immersed in natural water bodies, the Court extended the requirement to include idols up to six feet in height.

“This Court must make an endeavour to ensure that the environmental impact of idol immersion is reduced to a bare minimum,” Chief Justice Aradhe said, while clarifying that the directive would apply across Maharashtra for all upcoming festivals involving idol immersion.

Key Directions Issued:

• The State must implement its policy on idol immersion in letter and spirit.

• All local bodies must ensure strict enforcement of the guidelines and encourage public mandals to install smaller idols.

• Authorities should promote reuse or reinstallation of larger idols in the following year, while encouraging immersion of smaller ones in artificial ponds.

• Idols up to six feet must be compulsorily immersed in artificial tanks.

• The State must constitute an expert committee to explore ways to recycle PoP idols and develop eco-friendly methods for their faster dissolution.

When the petitioner’s counsel raised concerns about the leniency of the government’s policy, the Chief Justice acknowledged, “We are also not satisfied... But we cannot create artificial tanks ourselves. We must also consider the challenges faced by the administration. It’s easy to pass orders from the courtroom, but we must ensure that our directions are practical and enforceable.”

The Court clarified that the directions are ad-interim and will apply not only to Ganeshotsav, beginning August 27, but also to Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and any other festivals involving idol immersion this year.

The matter has been adjourned for eight weeks for further hearing.